People check out Sony's new Xperia Z smartphones after a news conference at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. / Jae C. Hong, AP

by Brett Molina and Nancy Blair, USA TODAY

by Brett Molina and Nancy Blair, USA TODAY

LAS VEGAS - The International Consumer Electronics Show has hosted super-thin HDTVs, cutting-edge laptops and tablets and "superphones," and the show floor hasn't even officially opened yet.

Our crew of USA TODAY reporters is on the scene. Here's some of the cool stuff generating the most buzz.

TVs, TVs, and more TVs

Which company didn't unveil a pencil-thin, ultra high-definition television? Between Samsung, LG, Panasonic and Toshiba, consumers won't worry about finding the HDTV of their choosing.

The pricey sets have four times the pixel count of today's HD counterparts, and whopping prices to boot. Once they start hitting retailers, the TVs are expected to fetch as much as $20,000, depending on size and features. Yeah, not expensive at all.

USA TODAY's Ed Baig took a deep look at Samsung's plans in his daily column. Samsung's upcoming 85-inch flagship UN85S9 UHD TV "takes your breath away," Baig writes. "Not that you can even buy it yet. Samsung isn't saying what it will cost or when precisely it will go on sale, but says the model will ship this year."

There's still not a lot of content out there to take advantage of all those extra pixels - a familiar chicken and egg scenario that slowed the launch of early HDTVs, Baig notes.

The set from South Korean tech titan is part of the first crop of OLEDs in the U.S. Beyond the superior color saturation and higher contrast that OLED provides, the sets are also lightweight. LG's device weighs only 22 pounds.

Lenovo sets table with hybrid PC

PC-maker Lenovo's latest offering attempts to move computing from the desk to the coffee table.

The IdeaCentre Horizon has a 27-inch screen that functions both as a standard desktop and a huge tablet. The multitouch screen lets you and others input commands simultaneously. You can lay the device flat on any surface as a tablet, or prop the computer up with a smart hinge and use a mouse and keyboard in a traditional format.

If a 27-inch tablet just isn't large enough, Lenovo is also demonstrating a 39-inch wide-screen version at CES. That's gonna require a pretty big coffee table.

Magellan's solution is the cloud-based SmartGPS device that is expected to go on sale this spring for $249. SmartGPS can wirelessly sync to a PC, smartphone or tablet, using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The pitch is that you'll use your phone or tablet to plan a route before you get into the car -- Magellan has a free app for iOS and Android devices. En route, SmartGPS can deliver social commentary and reviews for nearby restaurants and sites, culled from the likes of Yelp and Foursquare. It can also provide local traffic, gas stations (with gas prices) and red light camera warnings.

Magellan is also selling an optional $150 backup camera that's compatible with the SmartGPS. When you're driving in reverse, the map's screen is replaced by a view of who or what is behind you.

What the fork?

The winner of today's coolest device at CES award goes to the Hapifork, an electronic device that helps you watch what you eat. As Jennifer Jolly explains, the fork tracks how fast you're eating and zaps you if you don't slow down. It also measures how long you take to eat a meal and how long you wait between "fork servings." No pain, no (weight) gain.